Tag Archives: Redwood

Facebook cofounder illegally destroys Redwood forest

Facebook cofounder intentionally damages Redwood forestFacebook cofounder Sean Parker decided he just had to have a fantasy wedding in the Redwood forest in California, one of the few old growth forest areas left in North America. And fantasy, to Parker and his wife, means f up nature as much as you can. Because nature is nowhere near as cool as what you can buy with $10 million dollars or so and maybe because it’s exciting to break the law. Parker was fined and paid up without complaint: apparently, that was just part of the cost of destroying natural treasures for totally selfish ends. Grist author Holly Richmond comments:

It’s hard to decide what’s most depressing about this. Is it that rich douchebags can buy their way out of anything? That you can fuck up the Earth if you can afford it? That Parker and Co. made no significant effort to limit erosion and redwood damage? That the wedding industrial complex makes people think they’re entitled to barfalicious displays of excess? Thinking about it makes me feel old and tired. I’m gonna go back inside my hobbit-hole. Which, incidentally, I didn’t pay $10 million for.

The Atlantic’s Alex Madrigal quotes the California Coastal Commission Report, which details how much damage was done to the area’s ecosystem.

The Parker Respondents did not install any erosion control measures or any BMPs when they commenced development within the campground. Structures, walls and elevated platforms have been constructed immediately adjacent to Post Creek with no setbacks employed. The Parker Respondents have recently installed temporary fencing in an attempt to reduce potential impacts to Post Creek, but most of the development occurred without any such erosion-control protections in place. Increased erosion resulting from hardscaping and vegetation removal along streams impairs riparian corridors, streams, and, ultimately, shallow marine waters by increased sedimentation. Increased sediment loads in streams and coastal waters can increase turbidity, thereby reducing light transmission necessary for photosynthetic processes, reducing the growth of aquatic plants. Additionally, structures have been built up to and around existing redwoods and vegetation within the campground (Exhibit 10). Beyond immediate physical damage to individual trees, failure to provide adequate development buffers from redwood trees can negatively impact the underground lignotubers by which redwoods clonally reproduce, thus impeding propagation. The unpermitted development has thus impacted the existing redwood forest habitat and has likely caused sedimentation of Post Creek.

You can see before and after photos in both articles and guess what. They’re all disturbing.